Key points to starting a weight loss Program

– There is no magic bullet, pill, quick fix or miracle diet. Set realistic goals and if you don’t know how ask. Weight loss and mastery of self, the greatest challenge with the most satisfying of results. It doesn’t come easy, it’s hard work. Period. Here’s how we start.

– Correct nutrition. You cannot out train a poor diet. Start by eating breakfast. Most people skip breakfast, having coffee only, eat a moderate lunch and then kill it at dinner and go to bed full. Breakfast should include a protein, a carbohydrate and a healthy fat (avocado). a great training breakfast looks like this. A corn tortilla, egg whites, salsa and sliced avocado. Breakfast speeds up your metabolism for the day providing energy when it’s most needed and will be utilized. Try Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. Protein is a slow delivery leaving you feeling full longer. Avoid refined sugar, white flour, white pasta, white rice and any processed foods. Try to eat “food without labels” these would be in the produce department. Broccoli, Kale, Spinach, field greens. Drink lots of water. More than you are now. Stay hydrated shoot for at least 60 ounces a day. Drink two glasses prior to eating your meal. Choose alcohol or dessert, not both. Don’t drown your foods in dressings, go for raw veggies and keep them at hand for snacks.

– Body Composition Testing-Know your BMR – get tested for your basal metabolic rate this tells you exactly how many calories your body burns in it’s resting state. Knowing your BMR takes the guess work out of your nutrition plan and makes it a science game of numbers. Just follow the numbers. Take action, you can’t think your way thru this, guess work leads to frustration and wasted time, money and effort. Plan to succeed. A Body Comp testing runs about forty dollars.

– Set a goal(s) for body % fat loss, and why “scales are for fish”. Especially with women, water weight and water retention can radically change from day to day. Often times in the first month of training the scale will show a 10 pound loss, women get frustrated with the amount of work they put in to “only drop 10 pounds!” what the body comp shows us is there was actually 15 lbs of fat burned and an overall gain of 5 lbs of lean muscle. Then we hear “oh, that’s why all my clothes fit differently!” Then I say , get ready for the new wardrobe it’s coming. Donate all your “fat clothes”.

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– Track your food intake “My Fitness Pal” this is a free app for your smart phone, most people are very surprised when they see how much they actually consume. Staying accountable to your calorie consumption combats mindless eating, grazing or drive- byes. Make time to sit down and eat. The act of physically taking an action and inputting your food into a personalized database requires discipline. If you have the discipline to track your food and stay accountable to a balanced workout program, you will lose weight. Studies show 80% of people who track their food intake lose 85% more weight over a one year period than those who don’t.

– Try a protein shake as a meal replacements or as a snack. I like a vegetable based protein like Sun Warrior with unsweetened almond milk (very low sugar content).the most bang for the buck make your calories count. Not all calories are created equal.

– Metabolic strength training (resistance training with cardio intervals) is the most effective way to burn fat, think kettle bell flows and kettle bell circuits. Building red tissue, muscle, is the most efficient calorie consuming tissue in the body. No you won’t get bulky and big! Only unless you want to, hypertrophy training or body building require years of specific isolation training, you won’t get huge! Metabolic strength training is like putting your savings into a high return investment account. Low intensity aerobics is like hiding money under your mattress. Both will work, but the return you get is radically different

– Work in a group, embrace those who are pursuing this journey, staying accountable to your class is not only is inspiring for others, but provides inspiration and support back to you. Work with people you enjoy working out with. A top notch trainer will can make you smile, laugh and challenge you to produce your best effort for that day.

– Enlist in an activity like a 5k or 10k run, break out of your comfort zone ,train for an event, staying accountable to a future goal sets the pace for longer term fitness, reach for new goals.

– Sleep in There’s no better way to indulge in your lazy tendencies than to get more sleep. Sleeping fewer than than five hours a night could send the scale soaring 30% higher than if you got seven hours or more, suggests a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Written by Ron Matty

Ron Matty.
A classically trained chef, certiﬁed personal trainer, founder of MattysGym.com, and graduate of
the American Fitness and Nutrition Academy. Ron is a nutritionist, an avid cyclist and ultra
endurance athlete. Competing in numerous ultra marathons and a ﬁnisher of the world
renowned Angeles Crest 100 mile Endurance Race. He is certiﬁed in Combat Kettle-jitsu, Indo –
Row, and Spin. He is the Functional Fitness and Nutritional program designer at Lifesaver
Wellness in South Pasadena, CA. And a founding member of “Runnerzedge” endurance
running club.

ron.Matty@lifesaverwell.com
323.898.4332

See live updates on FB- May 24/25 as he attempts to run 100 miles in under 24 hours at the
“Nanny Goat 100 Endurance Race”